Westerfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Westerfield surname is derived from the Old English words "west" meaning "west," and "feld," meaning "open country;" it was likely taken on as a habitational name from either of two places, Westfield, in Norfolk and Westfield, in Sussex; or it may have been a name for someone who lived to the west of an open field. 1

Early Origins of the Westerfield family

The surname Westerfield was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1276 when John Westfield held estates in that shire. 2

Early History of the Westerfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Westerfield research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1455, 1487, 1573, 1600, 1640, 1642 and 1644 are included under the topic Early Westerfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Westerfield Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Westfield, Westerfill, Westerfeild, Westfield, Westfill, Westfill and many more.

Early Notables of the Westerfield family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Westfield (1573-1644), Bishop of Bristol, born in the parish of St. Mary's, Ely, in 1573. "After serving as curate at St. Mary-le-Bow under Nicholas Felton, he was presented to the rectory of South Somercotes in Lincolnshire in 1600. On the outbreak of...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Westerfield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Westerfield Ranking

In the United States, the name Westerfield is the 8,868^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Westerfield migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Westerfield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Westerfield, who arrived in Virginia in 1628 4

Westerfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Westerfield, who settled in Baltimore in 1834

Contemporary Notables of the name Westerfield (post 1700) +

Holt Bradford Westerfield (1928-2008), American Professor Political Science at Yale University
Richard Westerfield (b. 1958), American Associate Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Louis Westerfield (1949-1996), American lawyer, law professor, first African-American Dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law
James Westerfield (1913-1971), American actor who starred in more than 50 films including On The Waterfront (1954) and The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
William F. Westerfield, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York, 1894, 1896 5
Samuel Zazachilds Westerfield Jr. (1919-1972), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, 1969-72 5

Historic Events for the Westerfield family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Ivan Ayers Westerfield, American Seaman First Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 6

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html